Published on Nov 14, 2018
Here at Electrodry, we don’t like to brag but we consider ourselves to be the stain removal experts. At head office, we like to hone our skills by investigating how some of the more common stains can be treated with household items.
Acting quickly is a common theme with stain removal success – which is why it helps our customers to know what they can do at home when a spill occurs.
This week’s investigations revealed a stubborn stain, caused by good old-fashioned strawberry jam
1. We removed the excess chunks of jam with the blunt side of a butter knife, being careful not to further spread the stain or press it into the carpet.
2. White vinegar was applied to a clean, white cloth (a white paper towel can also be used). We dabbed the stain, then rolled our fingers gently across the stain to lift any coloring and jam from the carpet. There was some colour transfer to the towel but nowhere near as much as we thought there would be.
3. Once there was no further colour transfer, we decided to try a dishwashing solution on the stain instead.
4. In a spray bottle we mixed one part dishwashing detergent to 10 parts lukewarm water and gave it a little shake. We sprayed the solution sideways onto the stain and repeated the dabbing process from Step 2. After several attempts, the stain had faded but we still weren’t overly impressed with the results.
5. It was time to call in the big guns. The Electrodry technician had a bottle of Electro 3 Spot and Stain Cleaner handy, which we thought we’d try. Electro 3 is available for purchase through Electrodry. To be honest, the homemade stain removal tips I’ve found on our blog have been working brilliantly for me at home and I never saw a need for Electro 3 until I watched how quickly it got to work on the jam stain. It made a huge difference and would be handy to have tucked away in the cupboard for times like these.
6. We rinsed the carpet with cold water and blotted it dry with another clean cloth to remove residue.
Turns out jam was a much more difficult stain than we were anticipating. And we know that could be the case at home as well. It may be worth giving Electrodry a call for some expert advice and help to target the stain. Our highly trained technicians have advanced cleaning solutions to better your chances of getting rid of stubborn stains like this one. Our team could definitely get you out of a jam, you could say!